FLORENCE, AZ — Just like the performers who appear at Country Thunder, the site of former President Donald Trump's Saturday night speech was filled with fan favorites.
A rigged election, the fake big lie and a corrupt media. Cheered on by thousands, this was the former president's 2nd visit to Arizona since his defeat to President Joe Biden. Biden won Arizona. Trump still says the election was stolen.
"We had a tremendous victory in Arizona and it was taken away," Mr. Trump said.
When Mr. Trump visited Phoenix over the summer, he championed the Cyber Ninja Audit. That audit concluded there was no widespread voter fraud. In fact, only 37 ballots out of over 2 million cast in Maricopa County were potentially illegal. Another 50 ballots were double counted.
When he wasn't talking about a stolen election, the former president attacked President Biden on a host of issues.
Such as President Biden's COVID-19 response, not enough tests and mandates that are not surviving court challenges, "they declared the mandates largely unconstitutional and by the way we put those justice there for a reason," Mr. Trump said.
Trump criticized Biden's handling of the withdraw of troops from Afghanistan, the border and inflation. "Inflation is the worst it's been in 40 years . Gas prices are 50% higher and the grocery store shelves, the department store shelves are empty."
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation in the Phoenix Metro Area jumped nearly 10 percent in the last year. It's costing most people nearly $5,000 more to pay for things like food, gasoline and housing in 2022 than it did in 2021.
"They never talk about the crowd." For the first time, the Former President spoke about the events of January 6th. "They only talk about the people who walked down to the capitol. They never talk about that crowd. I believe it was the largest crowd I ever spoken before," Mr. Trump said.
He defended the protestors, insisting many of those arrested are political prisoners. "January 6th has become the Democrats excuse to an unprecedented assault of civil rights and liberties. An appalling persecution of political prisoners."
Through it all the former president weaved his familiar tale of having the election stolen from him. Praising Republican members of the Arizona legislature who want to decertify the results from the 2020 election. One thing Mr. Trump didn't say, he did not say he is candidate for president in 2024. That will have to wait.
